Ayr conditions improve for Coral Scottish Grand National after no overnight rain, Racing Post reports.

The novice has been performing well this season, finishing sixth in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and being the first of the British runners. Mystical Power, who came second to Slade Steel in the same race, went on to win the Grade 1 Top Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree. Favour And Fortune, a four-time winner, finished second in the Grade 1 Formby Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree on Boxing Day.

King’s confidence has been boosted by the drying ground at Ayr, with the track now soft, good to soft in places from soft all over. The lack of rain overnight has caused the conditions to improve, with good to soft areas predominantly around two furlongs out in the home straight. Clerk of the course Graeme Anderson noted that around 90% of the track is proper soft ground, with only the last two furlongs in the home straight being good to soft.

The Lucinda Russell-trained chaser prefers decent ground and was a 21-length winner of the Edinburgh National at Musselburgh in his most recent start. The trainer expressed a desire to run him in the Midlands National, but the ground was too heavy.